Oracle reports stronger than expected earning

CBS.MarketWatch.com

Oracle shares seem likely to head higher on Friday after the company said solid database sales pushed fiscal second quarter results ahead of analysts' expectations.

The world's second-largest software company (ORCL)
ORCL, -0.10%
said it earned 28 cents per share, 4 cents more than analysts predicted. That is up from 19 cents per share in the same quarter last year. The stock closed off 1 11/16 at 34 15/16 after spending the first half of the session up near a 52-week high. Shares headed higher in after-market trading. See related story.

In other database news, Informix said the Securities and Exchange Commission had cleared its pending acquisition of Red Brick Systems. Informix (IFMX)
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said in a release it expects Red Brick (REDB)
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shareholders to vote on the acquisition on Dec. 31, with the deal closing immediately afterward. Informix shares slipped 5/32 to 8 3/8, while Red Brick shares were up 7/32 to 4 11/16.

CBT rallies on re-shuffle

Shares of CBT Group added more than one-third in value on Thursday as a pair of Street-savvy executives returned to the troubled company. CBT (CBTSY)
cbtsy
named William McCabe as chairman and Gregory Priest as chief executive. The pair "have a great deal of credibility with the Street, and great relationships," said CBT spokeswoman Cindy McCaffrey. True enough, apparently. Both BT Alex. Brown and BancBoston Robertson Stephens raised their rating on CBT. The stock added 4 1/2, or 36 percent, to 16 15/16. Trading was eight times heavier than average. See related story.

Concern over current quarter at Hyperion

Shares of Hyperion Solutions shed 16.4 percent on heavy trading amid speculation the company would fall short of analysts' earnings projections. BT Alex. Brown lowered its rating on Hyperion to "buy" from "strong buy." The company (HYSL)
hysl
, formed in August through the merger of Hyperion Software and Arbor Software, makes analytical software. Hyperion is expected to earn 31 cents a share for its most recent quarter, which closes at the end of December. The stock dropped 4 5/16 to 21 15/16after falling 20 percent in the previous session.

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